Minister Owen Bonnici attends UNESCO World Conference
Malta has always been very conscious of its strategic geo-political importance in the Mediterranean region and is determined to keep fostering viable cultural links across this region as pathways to bring people together, enhance social cohesion, and push forward wellbeing for a better and more sustainable future.
This was stated by the Minister for the National Heritage, the Arts and Local Government Owen Bonnici while participating at the UNESCO World Conference on Cultural Policies and Sustainable Development – MONDIACULT 2022 in Mexico City.
The conference is taking place 40 years after the historic 1982 MONDIACULT Conference and 24 years after the 1998 Stockholm Conference – both convened by UNESCO – and has the aim to discuss the future of cultural policies and to reaffirm the commitment of the international community in the face of the urgent and complex contemporary challenges in our multicultural societies.
During his intervention, Minister Bonnici said that Malta’s cultural and creative ecology has developed throughout the centuries, and it forms an intrinsic part of many aspects of the Maltese society, such as our language, art, and history. He explained that this development continues unabated nowadays, with Malta’s continuous work towards the strengthening and flourishing of culture and the arts.
He stated that it is crucial to keep those who operate in the sector at the centre of all the work that is undertaken and mentioned various initiatives undertaken by the Government of Malta in terms of funding mechanisms which allow creative professionals to embark on their projects. He also made reference to the new cultural policy, published this year, which embraces culture and the arts as a path that leads to the development of more meaningful links on various levels.
“To date, our contribution in the cultural and creative sectors is growing at a steady pace. Special measures were implemented to support the sectors during the pandemic and now that we are looking ahead, we have introduced more funding mechanisms, we have fostered community-led opportunities and cross-sectoral collaborations and strengthened international artistic exchanges and collaborations”, stated Minister Bonnici.
The minister concluded that Malta is determined to not only provide a solid contribution to the cultural ecology of Europe but to also create viable cultural links across a region.
Source: Office of the Prime Minister